Are you in search of games to play with your friends or significant other? Well, look no further! Here are 15 co-op games to sink your playtime to.
Playing a game by yourself is always nice to have, or playing an online game as a solo might give you nice feedback on your game sense. However, sometimes we feel like playing beside someone so we can share the fun and enjoyment the game provides. Luckily, there are a lot of genres that fit well with the co-op mentality, and if you are looking to play with your best friend, friend group, or significant other, here’s our list of 15 co-op games you should definitely check out.
Left 4 Dead 2
Let’s start with the obvious and probably one of the most played co-op games currently on the market. Valve’s Left 4 Dead was born as a Counter-Strike mod where one team had guns and the other one had only knives. The mod later on got support from Valve themselves and became extremely popular due to its dynamic and team-reliant gameplay. Despite its lack of updates or bug fixes, Left 4 Dead 2 still has a thriving community with huge numbers still active, thanks to its stable and innovative gameplay.
Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the bigger co-op games to be on the market, as it can be played by up to eight people, four survivors, and four infected via versus mode. However, you can go through the game solo or have a friend with you to beat through the campaign too.
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic, as a co-op game, is one of the strongest candidates out there in terms of freedom on what to do and action-packed gameplay. As the name suggests, the game is about finding precious stones as miners. Although you might have a simple job, external threats like mine monsters and empty voids are many of the obstacles you will encounter during your adventures. The title has a lot of overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam and it is one of the go-to co-op games if you are looking for both an exciting and a scary experience.
Deep Rock Galactic is a Player versus Environment game and you can have up to four people in a team of miners, so keep in mind if you are looking for a game that requires more than four people.
PAYDAY 2
I can clearly see you ask “Why is the second game here but not the third?” and I do not blame you. Despite PAYDAY 3 being the latest game in the series, PAYDAY 2 still has a lot of content for you and your friends to chew through. Playing as bank robbers, PAYDAY 2 has both a good and a notorious history about its name.
At the same time, the game can offer you a lot of flexible games with decks, guns, items, and maps, going for a 100 percent run on PAYDAY 2 as there are over 80 DLC packs and 1400 or so achievements to unlock. Still, PAYDAY 2 will eventually offer you hours upon hours of gameplay while hunting for dosh and entertainment with your friends.
PAYDAY 2 is one of the co-op games that is still being updated, and it’s a PvE title. The title allows you to have a four-man team, so keep it in your head if you are looking for a game that offers more than four people to play.
Sea of Thieves
Grab your pirate hats because we are gonna search for loot! Sea of Thieves is one of the most immersive, although silly, pirate simulators out there. And what else can make being a mean pirate better? Of course, playing with your friends and being equally mischievous. The title came out a few years ago, and it has been receiving content updates from time to time. With its open-world aspect, you and your friends hop onto a journey to find booty and turn into a drunken sailor.
The game sounds better if a whole crew of twenty is on board. Sadly, Sea of Thieves only allows for four players on the ship. In terms of co-op games, it is somewhat limited in a vast world; however, the fun with your mates is endless.
KeyWe
Kiwis are extremely cute, don’t you think? What if the native bird of New Zealand were to operate a postal office under stressful conditions? That’s exactly what KeyWe is about. Two featherless and wingless birds, running around a post office trying to sort everything out. The gameplay might be simple as all you do is butt stomp, dash, and move, but the levels get progressively harder as you keep sending postages, filing letters, and sorting the depot. Your chilled-out gameplay suddenly turns into a rush to get everything done in the quickest time possible.
KeyWe can only play with two people cooperatively, making it rather suitable for playing with your significant other. It is one of the most innovative indie co-op games out there and it is highly suggested if you are looking for a fun time with your partner.
Wobbly Life
Considered the safe version of Grand Theft Auto, Wobbly Life is an open-world work simulator, presented with a cute avatar called Wobblys. While the beginnings of your career are simple, sometimes you can find yourself putting out fires and sometimes delivering pizzas. The opportunities in the city are limitless, and the best part is all work must be done with partners, so grab your friends or significant others and get to work. Earn money to unlock clothes, purchase households, and adopt pets. Wobbly Life has a lot of things to discover.
Wobbly Life is one of the lovely and child-friendly co-op games that can be played with four people max; however, it works well if you decide to roll on the work by being a duo too.
How 2 Escape
How 2 Escape came out this year as an answer to show how a smartphone with an app could cooperate with the person who’s playing the game. Similar to Keep Talking and Nobody Explozdes, How 2 Escape relies on your partner to be on the phone and help guide you on your escape from the train cars. The person who is playing the game talks about the hints on the puzzles while the person on the phone uses their clues from the app to help the escapee on their way out. It might sound simple, but puzzles vary from easy to hard so it is advised to keep a coherent chat between the parties.
How 2 Escape is a neat co-op game that can be only played by two people and requires one person to have a phone with an app installed. If these aren’t a problem, then it should provide some great time and thinking.
Lethal Company
Deemed as the indie game of the year, Lethal Company came out of nowhere and surpassed some AAA titles in terms of being popular. Players take the role of newly recruited employees of a scrap gathering company and they are sent to various planets to find resources. But employees need to watch out as there are creatures nearby that happen to give them a lot of trouble. From sound-sensitive creatures to scrap-stealing bugs, everyone has to act as a team to go back to the base to get paid.
Lethal Company requires four people to play, and it is best played with four people, so if you happen to have a friend group who loves to sabotage themselves, this is the game for you.
It Takes Two
In this list, not only are online co-op games included, but we also have couch co-op. There are recent titles that still consider local co-op as a valid way of playing, too. It Takes Two is one of the adventure titles, filled with puzzles and action.
The only thing to notice is… Being turned into an insect’s size. In the giant world of small creatures, players will have to find their way out by fighting against fearsome enemies that we see as nothing more than minuscule creatures.
It Takes Two is a local co-op game and can only be played by two people, so it is highly suggested to check out before diving deep into the grass and fighting with ants, centipedes, and the like.
Cuphead
Here’s a game that is still being talked about thanks to its different approach to the art style and bringing a classic genre back to life. Cuphead is a run-and-gun game that uses the Art Deco art style from 1920, and it executes the idea exceptionally well. Every single sprite is hand-drawn and aesthetically pleasing thanks to its authentic approach to gameplay. Despite it having been out for almost seven years, it regularly gets updated with new DLC, and it is a blast to play with your close friends as it requires heavy teamwork to beat stages.
Cuphead can be only played with two people, so keep in mind if you are looking for co-op games that require more than two people to play.
A Way Out
A Way Out plays similarly to It Takes Two but has a darker tone as you are two close friends helping each other escape from prison. Their backstories and attitudes affect how they respond to each other and the environment, too, but your job is to solve puzzles or help each other in fist fights to earn your freedom. It was considered revolutionary as it had a constant split-screen mode, meaning the other person could also see the other player’s movements and act accordingly.
Since A Way Out is focused on a duo who makes a daring escape from prison, do not expect to have more than two people playing it. Still, it is a nice blast to play through with your brother, close friend, or your significant other.
Mayhem Brawler
We tried not to include any beat ‘em up game in our list as it would feel cheating to talk about a genre that is mostly played by pairs. But if we had to choose a beat ‘em up game from the bunch that exists in the market, Mayhem Brawler would be it. With its 50s comic book style and solid gameplay, Mayhem Brawler is one of the rare quality games to hit the PC platform in the league of beat ‘em up games. You cannot go wrong with this one; it is that good.
Mayhem Brawler can be played by up to four people, which means you can create fighting havoc on your screen if you so desire.
Unrailed
We know building an entire rail line is hefty work, with thousands of work hours and people required to finish it. But what if you were in a hurry and the line had to be assembled as the train would be on its rails, moving? That is exactly what Unrailed is about. You and your crewmates are always in a rush to build a railroad for the ever-moving train.
It would have been easy if the road were completely straight, but obstacles such as mountains and rivers count as a plan breaker on your path. Gathering sources to build the train is a mus,t and you have to be extremely fast about it.
Unrailed can be played by up to 4 people, but the difficulty and speed of the train get higher as there are more players in the lobby, so be advised.
Party Animals
People have been considering Party Animals to be a direct successor of one of the grandfathers of the genre: Gang Beasts. Party Animals came out recently and has a similar gameplay to the previously mentioned game. However, with its more in-depth multiplayer, funny ragdolls, and cute mascots, it became an instant hit over Twitch.
A semi-serious championship of the game was held a month ago or so, and it gained a lot of views. The whole premise of Party Animals is to drag, kick, punch, or throw your opponent out of the ring with free and fast movement. The ragdolls and funny characters provide a lot of entertaining gameplay, to be fair.
You can enjoy Party Animals with up to eight players, which makes it one of the most prominent party games on the list. Just do not get sad over a victory of your friend and start punching their animal, okay?
Ready or Not
Finally out from its early access phase, Ready or Not is one of the co-op shooters that rely on heavy teamwork, just like the other FPS games we mentioned in our list. However, its take on the shooter genre is more realistic. Players are responsible for being an actual police force and approach situations with caution, such as shootouts, robberies, or hostage takeovers. Accompanied by the massive co-op game scene, Ready or Not is slowly getting up to the ranks of one of the most solid shooter games out there.
Unlike other co-op games on the list, Ready or Not can be played by up to five people at once, so you can create your team with players who are specialized in certain skills.
